Brief
Researchers explore AI tools to decode animal communication
AI models and wearable sensors are being tested to interpret vocalizations of species from crows to whales, though accuracy remains uncertain.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Scientists are testing artificial‑intelligence systems and novel sensors to translate animal sounds, a development reported by MIT Technology Review on 21 October 2026.
What happened
Over the past decade, researchers have deployed hydrophones to record humpback whale songs and tiny “biologgers” that capture bat squeaks. The Earth Species Project (ESP), a nonprofit founded in 2018, recently used machine‑learning to separate carrion crow calls and identify which bird produced each sound.
What the reports add
The article notes that large language models such as Claude and ChatGPT can find relationships between words, and ESP is training its own model, NatureLM, on human speech, music and animal sounds. Sara Keen, a behavioral ecologist at ESP, explains that the model could eventually interpret vocalizations across many species.
What was said
Con Slobodchikoff, founder of Zoolingua, is quoted saying animals are “sentient creatures who think, who have hopes and dreams of their own.” Yossi Yovel, a neuroecologist at Tel Aviv University, cautions that AI may over‑emphasise acoustic similarity and misclassify sounds with different meanings.
How it came about
Advances in AI over the last ten years have improved pattern detection in animal calls, building on a 50‑year history of accumulating communication data. ESP hopes its NatureLM will expand interpretation beyond birds, though the prospect of two‑way conversation remains theoretical.
Key facts
- ESP used machine learning to differentiate carrion crow vocalizations. (technologyreview.com)
- NatureLM is being trained on human speech, music, and animal sounds. (technologyreview.com)
- Con Slobodchikoff describes animals as sentient beings with hopes and dreams. (technologyreview.com)
- Yossi Yovel warns AI may misinterpret similar sounds that have different meanings. (technologyreview.com)
Sources
- [1] technologyreview.com — originally reported as “Interspecies communication”
